NEWS:The Security Cabinet of Israel has approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to expand military operations and seize control of Gaza City

GS-2 international relation

 despite mounting international condemnation over the humanitarian crisis and allegations of genocide. The decision has drawn criticism from close allies, global leaders, human rights organisations, and former Israeli officials.

• Security Cabinet formally approved plans to expand the war and seize Gaza City, extending the offensive beyond its current frontlines from the northern sector into Khan Younis in the south, marking a major territorial push.
• Expansion is occurring amid a severe humanitarian emergency marked by famine conditions, forced starvation tactics, and high child mortality from acute malnutrition in Gaza.
• Key Western allies — France, the U.K., and Canada — have issued joint calls for an immediate ceasefire, coupled with political commitments to recognise Palestinian statehood as a pathway to long-term peace.
• Prominent domestic opposition includes two former Israeli Prime Ministers, numerous ex-IDF Chiefs of Staff, and senior intelligence leadership, all warning of the strategic and moral costs of the war.
• Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to deny the existence of starvation in Gaza, contradicting UN assessments, humanitarian NGO reports, and widely circulated photographic evidence of emaciated children.

Israel-Palestine Conflict?

• Balfour Declaration:
  • The seeds of the conflict were laid in 1917 when the then British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour expressed official support of Britain for a Jewish “national home” in Palestine under the Balfour Declaration.
• Creation Of Palestine:
  • Unable to contain Arab and Jewish violence, Britain withdrew its forces from Palestine in 1948, leaving responsibility for resolving the competing claims to the newly created United Nations.
    • The UN presented a partition plan to create independent Jewish and Arab states in Palestine which was not accepted by most of Arab nations.
• Arab Israel War (1948):
  • In 1948, the Jewish declaration of Israel’s independence prompted surrounding Arab states to attack. At the end of the war, Israel controlled about 50 % more territory than originally envisioned by the UN partition plan.

NEWS:Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have decided to follow a two-language policy in school education diverging from the three-language formula recommended in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020

GS-2 social justice

 Both states prioritise regional languages (Tamil/Kannada) along with English, rejecting mandatory Hindi.

• Tamil Nadu continues with its long-standing two-language formula — Tamil and English — as reaffirmed in its State Education Policy (SEP).
• Tamil Nadu’s SEP makes Tamil compulsory up to Class 10 across all boards and integrates critical thinking, digital literacy, climate education, social justice, and the STEAM approach.
• Karnataka will discontinue the three-language policy and adopt a two-language model based on an expert commission’s recommendations.
• In Karnataka, Kannada or the mother tongue will be the medium of instruction up to Class 5, preferably extended to Class 12; Kannada/mother tongue and English will be compulsory.
• This replaces the current model that included Hindi as a compulsory third language in Karnataka.
• Karnataka’s commission also recommended a state-specific curriculum, bilingual teaching methods, and reduced dependence on NCERT textbooks.

Key Constitutional Provisions:

• Article 343: Official Language of the Union:

This article specifies that Hindi in Devanagari script is the official language of the Union, and the international form of Indian numerals will be used for official purposes. 

• Article 351: Directive for Hindi Development:

This article directs the Union to promote the spread and development of Hindi, aiming to make it a medium of expression for India’s composite culture and drawing from various languages, particularly Sanskrit, for enrichment. 

• Part XVII of the Constitution:

This part, encompassing Articles 343 to 351, outlines the framework for the official language policy of India. 

• Article 29(1): Protection of Linguistic Minorities:

This article ensures the right of any section of citizens with a distinct language, script, or culture to conserve its own. 

NEWS:On June 24 the Election Commission of India (ECI) began the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, covering nearly 8 crore voters with plans to extend it nationwide

GS-2 polity and governance

The scale of deletions and lack of transparency have raised concerns about possible disenfranchisement, especially among marginalised groups, and the implications for electoral integrity and citizenship verification

• Massive Deletions: Draft voter list after the first phase showed deletion of 65 lakh names (~27,000 per constituency). In the 2020 Bihar elections, this number exceeded the winning margin in two-thirds of Assembly seats.
• Reasons Cited: 22 lakh voters listed as dead, 36 lakh as permanently shifted/not found, 7 lakh as enrolled in multiple places.
• Lack of Disclosure: ECI claims deletion lists were shared with political parties, but reasons for deletion were not provided.
• Nationwide Exercise: SIR to cover ~100 crore voters; rationale for the sudden nationwide rollout remains unclear.
• Citizenship Proof Debate: For Bihar, voters on 2003 rolls are exempt from producing proof; others must submit documents such as passports or birth certificates.
• Concerns of NRC by Proxy: Former Election Commissioners and civil society fear the exercise could be a backdoor implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Election commission of india

• Genesis: ECI is a permanent Constitutional Body established in on 25th January 1950.
  • Since 2011, National Voters’ Day has been celebrated on January 25 every year to mark the foundation day of the ECI.
• Constitutional Provision: Part XV of the Constitution entailing Articles 324 to 329.
• Statutory provisions: The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 regulates their appointment, service conditions, tenure, etc.
• Key role: ECI Administers elections to the

• Lok Sabha
• Rajya Sabha
• State Legislative Assemblies
• Offices of the President and Vice President

• Composition: It currently consists of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two Election Commissioners (EC).

• Initially, the commission had only a CEC. In 1989, two Election Commissioners were appointed who served until 1st January 1990.
• Since 1993, the commission has permanently included two Election Commissioners.

NEWS:The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) once billed as Telangana’s lifeline and the world’s largest multi stage lift irrigation project, is under scrutiny for alleged irregularities cost escalations and structural failures

GS-2 governance

A judicial commission has been appointed to investigate lapses in its planning, execution, and financial management.

Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project 

It is a multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River in Kaleshwaram, Bhupalpally, Telangana. 

It is designed to provide water for irrigation and drinking purposes to about 45 lakh acres in 20 of the 31 districts in Telangana, apart from Hyderabad and Secunderabad. 

Currently the world’s largest multi-stage lift irrigation project, its farthest upstream influence is at the confluence of the Pranhita and Godavari rivers.

The Pranahita River is itself a confluence of various smaller tributaries, including the Wardha, Painganga, and Wainganga rivers, which combine to form the seventh-largest drainage basin on the subcontinent.

It comprises seven links and 28 packages, stretching over a distance of approximately 500 km (310 mi) across 13 districts. 

The extensive canal network associated with the project spans over 1,800 km (1,100 mi). 

The project aims to produce a total of 240 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic Feet) of water, which is allocated for various purposes such as irrigation, municipal water supply to Hyderabad, industrial use, and drinking water in nearby villages

MAINS MOCK QUESTION

Dispute of isreal Palestine is historical .examine its effect on INDIA economic condition